The Solar Steward
by kissfromarose2
Summary: A Lost Princess fallen defeating a terrible Nightmare. Secrets a thousand years old. The end of a thousand year banishment. One pony stuck right in the centre of it all. Twilight Sparkle had better make friends. The world may well depend on it. A Nightmare Moon AU switching Luna and Celestia with a twist.
1. Prologue: Night of a Thousand Stars

It was an hour before dawn and in the great city of Canterlot only one mortal pony stood awake as her monarch communed with stars.

As she had done every night for a thousand years, Princess Luna, Warden of the Night and Steward of the Sun, held her lonely vigil. Tonight she did so from the eastern balcony of the palace. The light pollution from the city below meant it was perhaps not the best place from which to view the stars.

Luna, however, did not need to [i]see[/i] the stars to talk to them.

She had dismissed the few Night Guard from her presence hours ago, commanding them to rest for the coming celebration. They did not have to know it was not the Summer Sun Celebration.

Closing her eyes she whispered words no pony was present to hear. The stars seemed to shine more brightly for a brief moment as the shy brightened to a dusky purple. Then Luna lit her horn and they faded away, replaced by a silent twilight.

Alone at last, Luna's eyes opened. Bowing her head towards the open sky the alicorn finally let the tears fall.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything."

In the West tower sat the only other pony currently awake. That pony was a unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle.

Though awake as her mentor brought about her namesake, she was currently oblivious to the transition of night and day, being far too wrapped up in a book. This particular tome was both rather heavy and extremely old, having been exhumed by Twilight from some dark corner of the Royal Canterlot archives. It was also the seventh she had read since her assistant Spike had given up and gone to bed.

Carefully bringing her lamp closer she leaned forward squinting at the faded text. Her eyes narrowed, then immediately widened at seeing the contents. Leaping from her seat with uncharacteristic athleticism, she rushed over to a rather large pile of reference books on the far side of the desk.

"A lost princess? Days never ending? I have to tell Princess Luna. Spike take a note!"

From the corner of the room a young dragon groaned before rolling over in his basket, pulling his starry blue blanket over his head.

Sighing, Twilight walked over to a wooden cabinet set into the wall. Her horn lit up as purple magic swirled around the lock. Pulling out a blue crystal she carefully relocked the cabinet before levitating the stone towards the sleeping dragon, waving it under his nose.

It immediately garnered a response. The baby drake shifted beneath the blankets, head poking out to sniff the air as his mouth began to water.

"Mmmm sapphires."

Tiny claws reached out towards the sapphire to grab it, but Twilight quickly levitated it higher.

Overreaching in his quest for gems, Spike lost his balance, tumbling out of his basket as his feet tangled in the blankets.

Aiming a somewhat sleepy glare at his companion he held out a claw expectantly for the gem.

"No Spike. Letter first."

Grumbling Spike pulled out a quill and piece of parchment as Twilight began to dictate, oblivious to her assistant's muttered plans of mutiny.

"Dear Princess Luna..."

"Is this really necessary Twilight?" he cut in. "You live in the same castle."

"Letters are the most efficient way of conveying information, you know that Spike. Besides your fire breath will make this letter reach her faster than I can walk."

Spike sighed heavily. "Fine. [b]Then[/b] can I go to sleep? With the summer sun celebration tomorrow I need all the rest I can get. It's not easy staying up all night three days in a row you know."

Twilight hesitated. "I'm sorry Spike, you're only young. It's not fair to expect you to deliver messages so late. I'll talk to her in the morning."

The young dragon levelled a disbelieving look at her.

Twilight winced. "I don't [i]want[/i] to wait all night, but what if she's busy, or doesn't want to talk to me?" Her eyed widened in horror. "What if I wake her up and she's so angry she makes me go back to magic kindergarten!" She shivered.

Spike took a deep breath for what felt like the hundredth time since Twilight dragged him out of bed. "Twilight you're her favourite student. Not to mention her only student since Sunset...left."

Twilight calmed. "You're right Spike. Princess Luna did say I was her favourite student."

Silently breathing a sigh of relief she hadn't noticed his slip-up Spike continued.

"Besides I'm not even sure princess Luna knows how to sleep."

"Spike, she's the Princess of Dreams, of course she knows how to sleep."

"Could have fooled me. Besides she's the princess of like everything."

"Spike!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you have someplace to be already?"

"Of course you're right Spike. I'll go now." She quirked her mouth. "Now into bed with you young drake!"

Seeing Spike yawn Twilight quietly levitated him onto her back. Feeling his arms wrap around her neck she gently carried him back to bed; tucking the blanket around him with military precision.

Spike's eyes began to close, before suddenly flicking back open with new zeal. "Hey Twilight can I have that sapphire now?"

Twilight laughed, resisting the urge to smirk. "Oh no Spike! I cant be giving you gems so late. It will ruin your digestion, you are a baby dragon after all." At the sight of his frown she relented. "Alright you can have it in the morning with your breakfast."

Smiling dopily Spike's eyes grew droopy. "Thanks. G'mornin Twilight"

Quietly pulling the door to, Twilight looked fondly at her charge.

"Goodnight Spike."


	2. To Question A Princess

This early in the morning the palace corridors were all but deserted. The only faces Twilight passed in the corridors were those of the stern Night Guard quietly attending to their posts.

When she was younger she had found their dark features and sharp teeth off-putting, but time and her affinity for getting lost in the castle had made her appreciate them. It also helped that in her first week living at the castle Captain Darkwing had shown her the best way to the castle archives.

Nodding to the two thestrals at the entrance to the corridor, Twilight headed towards the door to Princess Luna's chambers.

For all that her teacher was seen as a detached and reserved figure to the public at large, Twilight knew just how much she cared about every pony around her. It was one of the reasons she so rarely slept.

Raising a hoof to knock on the door Twilight hesitated. Maybe she shouldn't disturb her mentor. The princess was very busy after all.

She steeled herself. This was important. This lost princess was due back tomorrow and any disruptions to the negotiations with the Griffon ambassador could be disastrous. Besides Luna had an open door policy for a reason, even if no pony else seemed to know about it. She _wanted_ to hear Twilights concerns.

"You going to knock or not kid?"

Glaring back at the guard smirking behind her, Twilight took a deep breath, then tuned around and knocked on the door.

It swung open.

The guard snickered.

Of course the open door policy was literal. Twilight kicked herself for forgetting. Again.

Mentally cataloguing all the ways an open door was impractical for royalty, Twilight stepped into the room.

Luna sat on a large white cushion in the centre of the room surrounded by a number of other cushions in varying shapes, sizes and colours. Her eyes were closed in rapt concentration whilst a small frown furrowed between her eyebrows.

Crossing the room Twilight picked her favourite of the cushions, a particularly fluffy one in cerulean, and pulled it closer to the meditating alicorn waiting patiently. To pass the time she began to catalogue the different cushions.

They ranged from all colours of the rainbow everything from red to green. They were every shape and size as well. Some looked as if they could easily accommodate a yak or minotaur whilst others were small enough only for a small foal to sit in. She looked back at a patched orange cushion in fondness.

Every size shape and colour was there, except one. With surprise Twilight noted there was not a single yellow cushion in the twenty two cushions that lay dotted around the room.

Twenty two cushions and not a single one in a primary colour. It seemed strange. Luna had never thrown away a single cushion away in all the years Twilight had studied under her. If anything Luna had added to them. Why wouldn't there be a yellow cushion? Some of the cushions didn't look like they had ever been sat in.

Twilight suddenly realised that she had never seen this room filled. Not once. Suddenly that open door made a lot more sense.

Shifting uncomfortably on her cushion she moved to stand.

The glow of Luna's horn faded and her eyes opened.

Glancing over at the noise her smiled widened, only to become more strained when she noticed Twilight moving to leave.

"I hope I didn't keep you Twilight Sparkle. Nightmares in the young around Trottingham have been much more common as of late."

"No, of course not Princess Luna. I just wanted to ask you...no it's silly really."

Princess Luna's smile widened almost predatorily. "What is it Twilight? It's not a colt is it?"

" _No_ , of course not!" Twilight spluttered.

"That IS a shame; I know Chrysalis is enjoying facilitating the connection between your brother and Princess Cadenza."

"But...but I thought that was a diplomatic mission!"

Luna smirked. "That's what THEY think."

"But the changelings, the international relations!" She paused to consider _all_ the possible ramifications of that statement. "Actually I don't want to know." Pushing away the unwanted images of the diplomatic relations she'd walked in on the _last_ time Chrysalis had visited Canterlot she continued on. "Anyway this is about something else, something more important."

Luna's jovial grin faded, replaced by a serious gaze. "I am listening Twilight."

"I was looking into historical relations between Griffonia and Equestria when I found something." She hesitated.

"Go on Twilight."

"A thousand years ago there was a massive political upheaval which led to a brutal war between Equestria and Griffonia lasting ten years."

"I am aware Twilight. I was there." Luna's voice came out strained.

For a moment Twilight regretted bringing the war up. There was a very good reason Luna and the griffons didn't get along. She forced herself to push the worries aside. This was important. The past could hardly do any more damage than it already had.

"Oh right. Anyway I was looking back into the causes to find something that might help in the diplomatic talks when I found something strange. All the Griffonia communications kept referencing a lost princess, but the king of the time only had two sons and they referenced you by an entirely different term."

Excitement filling her voice Twilight looked over, hoping her mentor was sharing in her enthusiasm. Luna's face was stone.

"Umm, anyway that made me look deeper. And that's when I found all these other references to a Sun princess who used to rule Equestria."

She looked back at her teacher expectantly. She met a wall of silence.

"Then I thought what if there's something in the old lore section so I looked and then in _Predictions and Prophecies_ by Clairvoyant Gaze I found it."

Pulling out a somewhat crumpled scroll she held it out to the Princess who observed it as if it were a hissing serpent.

Her teacher having not taken it Twilight pulled the scroll back towards her, clearing her throat. Unrolling the parchment she began to read.

 _"The lost princess of the Sun. Fallen defeating the terrible Nightmare, she saved all Equestria by binding herself into the Sun along with the Nightmare._

 _On the longest day of the thousandth year she shall return draped in the glory of the last rays of sunset. And the Sun shall never set on her reign."_

Looking up from the parchment back to her mentor she saw Princess Luna swallowing harshly, her impassive façade cracked. Her voice however was calm and measured. Too measured.

"Thank-you for bringing this to my attention Twilight Sparkle. I shall be sure to give this all the consideration it requires."

Plucking the scroll from Twilight's grasp she turned away to file the scroll in a nearby cabinet. The sound of the key turning in the lock was clear. This conversation was over.

Twilight watched in desperation as the answers slipped further from her grasp. Unanswered questions burned on the tip of her tongue, fighting to escape. It was a losing battle.

"But who was she?" she burst out. "What happened to her? Why was it so important to the Griffons?"

Princess Luna turned away from the cabinet with a sigh. Sitting heavily back down onto the cushion, she fixed Twilight with a look of exhausted resignation.

"It is just as the scroll says Twilight Sparkle. She was a princess, like me, a long time ago. She controlled the sun and we ruled Equestria together, until she was lost to the Nightmare."

"Is that why there's that empty throne in the throne room Blueblood keeps trying to sit on?"

"Yes."

"And why you always call yourself the Steward of the Sun rather than its mistress."

"Yes."

"And why…"

"Yes!" Luna shouted in exasperation before quickly regaining her composure.

"But what happened?" Twilight asked softly.

"There was an...incident. Celestia used the elements to defeat the Nightmare at great personal cost. That is all I wish to say on the matter."

"That was her name? Celestia?"

Luna nodded jerkily.

"It's beautiful."

Luna smiled, eyes glistening. "I always thought so."


End file.
